
There is an e-collar training post on this website that was originally published in 2011 — At that time, the blog was housed under a URL named, The Truth About Shock Collars. I was devoting a considerable amount of time to educating the public about remote collars and their proper use. It was important to me (and still is) to spread reliable information on how to use the tool. My desire to counter the anti-Ecollar sentiment is equally important. SentimentsRead more “People that should NOT use an e-collar”

I recently sold the dog training company I founded in May of 1998. That’s My Dog, Inc was a great run for nearly 24 years. Now, there is a new owner, with new visions for the future. I’m happy to see my baby in good hands and thrilled with the transition. Since the announcement of the sale, many people have reached out to either congratulate me on my retirement or ask what’s up next? Because I believe that for every person thatRead more “The road ahead…”

The Dogtra E-Collar ARC: Advanced Receiver Concept (ARC) Review The new Dogtra E-Collar Advanced Receiver Concept (ARC) arrived and it was as I had expected…sleek on the dog. It drew a hallelujah from me immediately. A package I’ve been waiting for finally made it into my hands today. Take a look at the new e-collar on my boy, Tommy. The training community, particularly the pet training community, IMO, has been waiting for a streamline receiver for a very longRead more “Dogtra E-Collar ARC Review : Love at First Site”

The other day I received a Facebook message regarding remote collar training from a colleague in Ontario. My friend, Karen Laws, from Ontario Dog Trainer, had a post on her wall from a recent client that she wanted to share. I asked her if I could also share here on The Truth About Shock Collars. The story speaks for itself, proper use of an e-collar can help transform highly reactive dogs into calm, thinking pets that areRead more “E-collar helps formerly reactive dog learn to make better choices.”

Yes, it is a true, those two words, Shock collar, don’t sit well with me. Not because I’m opposed to electronic collars, but because they further a perception that is inaccurate. I recently gave a presentation for Scott Mueller and 16 of his students at Canine Workshops in Columbus, OH. Early in the day I directed students to this blog but made an apology for it’s title. The words “Shock collar” bother me too but the titleRead more “The words Shock Collar make me cringe”

Rule #1: Proper Fit of a Remote Dog Training Collar Is Essential Proper fit of a remote dog training collar is one of the most over looked reasons for poor results. Viewers write and tell me the e-collar “didn’t seem to work” or it didn’t seem like it was working so they kept turning the level up and then the dog startled. When I’ve had opportunity to witness these problems in person I generally find that the e-collar is justRead more “Proper Fit of a Remote Dog Training Collar | Robin MacFarlane”

Happy 4th of July! America’s Independence Day seemed like the appropriate time to unveil the winner of our Bling Your E-collar contest. For many people and their dogs e-collar training has added a level of freedom they did not think possible. Thank you to Caitrin and her dog Tulip for the inspiration to start this contest and to everyone who participated. We had some awesome entries!! You can take a look at the pics on the I Love My E-collarRead more “and the Winner is:”

Emily Stoddard from Canine Sports Dog Training recently sent me a success story of how proper use of an e-collar helped a dog destine for euthanasia. Guinness’ story is not an unusual one, a dog with a less than desirable upbringing, going to a new home and the new owner struggling to rehab an animal who has learned the wrong behavioral response to anything he perceives as scary. Unfortunately the sad stories like his aren’t hard to come by. TheRead more “Dog e-collar training: a case for clarity and another life saved.”

Training for Puppies: “Never shock a puppy?” If you have a new pooch and you’re looking for some help with training for your puppy, you can find a lot of great information out there. You’ll also likely find some strong opinions like; “never shock a puppy”. Those are some scary words, meant to entice emotion and title to one of the anti e-collar campaigns…and I agree with that sentiment. I would never shock a puppy. I would NEVER advise someoneRead more “Remote Collar Training for Puppies?”
Thanks to Rachel for sharing her story about Bugsy. Once you read it you will “hear” the enthusiasm! Another pet owner who is over the moon happy that she was able to find a trainer who could give her some real results and improve her relationship with her dog. And notice in the story that